Closer to Home
by Moss Royal
Summary: Danny Phantom’s job gets harder when human villains start coming for their chance at plunder, and a shot at the infamous Ghost Boy. Can Danny handle blows from both living and postliving lowlives? Or will one punk get lucky?
1. New Beginnings and Boomerangs

_MR-- Hi everybody! I'm back with a new story! Thanks to all who've reviewed my recent works! You know I envy you people in the States; you'll see 'Masters of All Time' tonight and 'Kindred Spirits' two weeks from now, and I'll (hopefully) be seeing 'The Ultimate Enemy' here in Canada on April 10th. But, oh well! I'm just happy to be seeing it after how long I've waited for new episodes!_

**Disclaimer**: If you saw it or heard it on DP, it's Butch Hartman's. The villain that appears near the end was created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino. **Note**: This isn't a crossover; I just wanted to see some interesting mortal villains in the DP world.

_Well, enjoy! And please, Read and Review! I loooove the attention!_

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**"I will always attempt to do the right thing, even if it means killing every man, woman and child in this here town...twice over."**

_-Jonah Hex from DC Comics_

* * *

"You never learn, do you Technus?" 

"Laugh while you can, whelp! I'll be back! I'll **always** be back!" the tech specter warned just before he vanished into the Fenton Thermos in a brilliant flash of blue light.

"He **does **never learn," Danny muttered, his earlier question answered indirectly. He flew down to an alley along the street and prepared to change back to human when a thundering, shrill noise rang through the air. At first he thought it might be his parents in the GAV with some new Ghost Detection Device, but a few seconds later he doused that theory as he realized that it was a bank alarm.

"A robbery?" he questioned aloud. He went invisible and poked his head around the alley corner to find another of his questions revealed without answer.

Two masked men with full bags in their one hand (It didn't take a genius to figure out what they were filled with.) and what appeared to be ecto-guns in their others were making a break for their car and getting ready to drive off.

"Get the damn thing goin'; we gotta get outta here!" the one in the passenger seat ordered.

"Oh, shut up! I know that!" the driver warned, and half a second later the engine was roaring and they were tearing across the blacktop. Danny could hear police sirens already heading for them, and he decided his change to human would have to wait.

"Lancer's gonna eat me alive," he mumbled, not wanting to know how late for school he'd be, and took to the air after the pursuit.

The crook driver obviously didn't care much for driver's etiquette, having almost run over a fire hydrant and an old lady with her small dog in under thirty seconds. Danny picked up speed, went invisible and caught up with the car.

"Normally, I leave the human bad guys to the human police, but in this case, I'll make an exception," he declared; making himself intangible, he phased into the car and overshadowed the other robber in the passenger seat.

"Take a left here," he ordered.

"Got it," the driver obeyed, leaving Danny grateful that not only had the driver not noticed the change in his partner's voice, but also that he'd overshadowed the leader instead of the flunky.

"Hey, what's the deal!" the driver yelled, bringing Danny out of his thoughts. "This street's a dead end! Nice going!" The driver raised his hand to strike him over the head, but Danny stopped it in midair. He couldn't help but smile as the crook's look of anger turned into surprise and confusion.

But fear became his main emotion as the driver observed his partner's eyes were glowing green. Danny phased out of the passenger crook, and, still intangible, brought himself and the driver out of the car and into the street before the quickly approaching police cars.

"Actually, I think it was very nice goin'," Danny agreed contently, holding the criminal still. "Now I just have to deal with-" His triumph faded as he looked to the car and saw that the robber he'd overshadowed was gone, along with one of the two sacks of cash.

"I'm sorry. You were saying?" the driver asked smugly, a smirk visible even through his mask.

"Oh, shut up..."

* * *

"I'm not crazy, boss! I saw it right in front o' me! It was a friggin' ghost! It grabbed Rob and handed him over to the cops!" the other robber explained hysterically over his cellphone. 

"I never said you were crazy, Mr. Ferguson. In fact, I believe you," his boss responded in a calm, British accent.

"Yeah, I know, but- Wait. You believe me?"

"Certainly. I'd heard tell of this Ghost Boy before, and your experience definitely acknowledges his existence, correct?" the boss asked.

"Uh, right," Ferguson answered, wishing his boss wouldn't use such big words. "Is that why you gave us these weird guns?"

"Exactly, my good man. Just in case. Now tell me exactly what happened."

"Well, like I said before, most of it was a blur. Rob was drivin'; tryin' to get away from the cops. Then everything goes black, and next thing I know, there's this green-eyed, white-haired kid in black floatin' in front o' me! He grabbed Rob, just went through the car and handed 'im over."

"And you escaped while the child dealt with Robert, I presume?" finished the boss.

"Yeah, pretty much. I couldn't grab all the money, or I'da gotten caught. But I did grab one sack o' the cash," Ferguson said, hoping it would make up for capture of his partner.

"How much?"

"Uh, 'bout thirty thousand, give or take."

"Hmm, a tad less than I'd hoped, but it'll do. Good work, get back here quickly before someone sees you."

"Right, thanks boss. Oh, but, uh-" Ferguson stammered as a thought came to his mind.

"What, Ferguson?" the accented voice sounded.

"What about Rob? He's not exactly dependable; if it gets bad, he may blow the whistle on both of us."

"Oh, please don't insult me, Mr. Ferguson," the boss answered, slightly amused. "You don't think that I wouldn't have thought of that, did you?"

"Uh, no, just bein' safe is all."

"Good; don't worry about Robert, he's going to be very tight-lipped very soon," the boss chuckled.

"Oh, that's good," Ferguson stated, relieved and rather creeped out. "What are you gonna do?"

"My dear Mr. Ferguson, I've already done it..."

* * *

"Welcome to class, Mr. Fenton. Dare I ask what the excuse is this time?" Mr. Lancer asked. 

"No excuse, Mr. Lancer. I was just...disorganized," Danny said, keeping as close to the truth as possible.

"Disorganization rarely leads to being twenty minutes late for class, Mr. Fenton. Maybe detention after school will help you realize that," explained the English teacher.

"Yes, sir," Danny complied, trying to ignore Dash and the other jocks' snickers from the back of the room as he took a seat next to Tucker and Sam. They turned to him quietly as Lancer continued talking.

"Rough morning?" asked Tucker. Danny just glared at him. "Sorry; standard question. Who was it? Ember? Skulker? Technus?"

"It started off as Technus before it turned into a police chase."

"Police chase?" asked Sam. Normally the police didn't deal with ghosts unless they caused large-scale damage.

"After I beat Technus, two masked goons with ecto-guns robbed the bank and drove off."

"You're kidding?" interrogated Tucker, aghast. "A bank robbery? In **this** town?"

"Yeah, the biggest human crime around here lately was Freakshow," Sam pointed out, "and even that had to do with ghosts."

"Don't remind me." Danny shivered, having several memories of the Goth clownshaking uphis mind like a snow globe.

"Mr. Foley, Ms. Manson," shouted Lancer, "unless you wish to join Mr. Fenton after school, I suggest you be quiet and pay attention to me, not to him."

The three all complied and faced forward, ignoring the further snickers from Dash. But Danny gave his friends a nod that said he'd fill them in later.

* * *

"I still can't believe it," said Tucker as they entered the Fenton abode. "An honest-to-God bank heist with no ghosts or anything!" 

"But they did have ecto-guns," added Sam, laying her books and backpack on the floor next to the couch.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean anything. They probably knew about our ghost problem and just wanted some insurance," stated Danny.

"Maybe," agreed Sam, "but where did they get them? Ghost fighting equipment isn't exactly sold at your local hardware store."

Before any of them could expand on the idea, Jazz came running in, looking both worried and excited.

"Danny, quick!" she yelled, and then more quietly, so their parents wouldn't hear her. "You're on TV." The four rushed to the kitchen where the television was held, and Jack and Maddie Fenton were both watching intently.

"Danny!" boomed Jack. "You're just in time! There's some news here on the Ghost Kid!"

"Ssh!" scolded both Maddie and Jazz, wanting a decent listen.

_"This is Tiffany Snow. Amity Park has usually been rocked more by the scarier ghost threats than actual, normal crime, but today that changed as two masked gunmen stood up and robbed Amity Bank and drove off. They were stopped by the Ghost Boy, Danny Phantom, who managed to capture the driver, but failed to apprehend the other robber who made off with nearly thirty thousand dollars."_

"Leave it to a ghost to botch an arrest," muttered Jack, unaware of the four young glares he got in return.

_"The driver is in custody and has been identified as Robert Hanson, previously wanted for several counts of breaking and entering and robbery. Lance Thunder has more. Lance?"_

_"Tiffany,"_ the blond weatherman (and temporary reporter) appeared on screen, _"I'm here with Officer Perry who was in charge of Mr. Hanson's interrogationfor the location of his partner. Can I ask what happened, Officer?"_

_"It was the strangest thing I'd ever seen. We were breakin' him down; he was willin' to tell us where the other robber would beand even the mastermind behind the crime, when we heard this little beep."_

_"Excuse me, 'a beep'?"_ Lance clarified.

_"Yeah, like a microwave or a computer. Just one little beep. Next thingwe know, he clutches his head, screamin' in pain for whatever it is to stop. Then, just like that, he goes dead silent and stares off into space."_

_"And this hasn't changed, I take it?" _

_"Not a bit. We've tried splashin' water in his face; bringin' him food; even blowin' an airhorn in his ear, but he just sits there, still as a log, like he's brain-dead."_

_"Strange. So you don't think this is just an act?"_ asked Lance.

_"In my professional opinion: no. I checked this guy's record, and he doesn't strike me as a guy who'd be that smart or that good an actor. We've called in a doctor, see if we can find a way to help him."_

_"If, in fact, he's actually hurt?"_ said Lance.

_"Right."_ agreed the officer.

_"Thank you, Officer Perry. This is Lance Thunder. Tiffany?"_

The rest of the news just became background noise as the Fenton family and friends spoke up.

"Talk about weird," muttered Jazz.

"Yeah," Danny said under his breath. "It's like someone didn't want him to talk."

"Well, whatever his problem is, it's nothing the Fenton Cattle Prod can't fix!" yelled Jack, jumping up from his chair. "Come on, Maddie! Grab the Prod and we'll get down to that police station!"

"Uh, Dad?" interrupted Danny. "Not that I care, but why would you want with the driver? It's not like he's a ghost."

"No, sweetie, but he might have something to do with that Phantom boy," Maddie explained, entering the room with Prod.

"Why else would he suddenly start handling human criminals?" Jack questioned.

"I have no idea," mumbled Danny truthfully.

"All right, let's shake a tailfeather, mama!" Jack grabbed the Prod from Maddie and hurried to the GAV.

"Oh, and kids," Maddie said, running after Jack, "there are some leftover hot dogs in the fridge; feel free to help yourselves!"

"Great," Jazz said sarcastically, once their parents had left, "another encounter with the Frankenfurters."

"We have more important things to worry about Jazz. Like finding the brains behind that robbery," said Danny.

"Why? The police can handle it."

"Jazz, nothing against the police, but if I hadn't stepped in when I did, somebody would be street pizza right now. And if this guy's partner and boss is still out there, that means they're gonna strike again."

Jazz, Sam and Tucker just stared at him wide-eyed. "What?" he asked. "A guy can't fight evil ghosts every other day and figure out how evil guys think?"

"Well, no," agreed Tucker, "but we didn't expect that guy to be you."

"Thanks, real confidence builder."

* * *

_Two days later_

"So not one thing's changed with this Hanson guy?" asked Sam, as the quad made their way to school. (Since the robbery, Jazz had considered it best if she followed Danny for a while.)

"Nope. Nothing. My parents have tried everything from the Fenton Cattle Prod to the Fenton Bear Trap and nothing seems to snap him out of whatever he's in."

"So either he's **really** patient or he's lost it," Jazz deduced.

Before Danny could reply, they heard a gigantic blast from a few blocks down. Sam, Tucker and Jazz all looked to Danny.

"No Ghost Sense going off," he observed.

"And that means-" continued Sam.

"Oh no, you've gotta be kidding me. Another one..again?"

"But the bank's back over there," said Jazz, pointing behind them.

"Bank or not..I'm goin' ghost!" he screamed; two white halos surrounded his waist and spread towards his head and feet, until Danny Fenton was replaced by Danny Phantom. "You guys get to school; I can handle this!"

"What about Lancer?" questioned Tucker.

"Lie!" And with that, Danny flew off, leaving them to salvage what could have been a relatively normal day.

"This isn't right," whispered Sam.

"Yeah, I know, now we're gonna have Lancer breathing down our necks!" complained Tucker.

"I don't think that's what she meant," informed Jazz.

"I meant that Danny has enough trouble dealing with ghosts and schoolwork..."

"-and housework," added Jazz.

"He shouldn't have to deal with human criminals; that's not his responsibility," Sam concluded.

"Try tellin' him that," remarked Tucker.

As much as the girls hated to admit it, Tucker had a point.

* * *

Whoever they were, they were hitting theJewelry store. The entire front of the building was in flames and terrified 'patrons' were running away as fast as they could. 

"You blasted idiot!" an Australian sounding voice insulted from inside. "I told you, never touch my 'rangs! You don't know how to use 'em!"

Danny went intangible and entered the barely stable establishment, eavesdropping on the conversation as he got steadily closer.

"I'm sorry, boss-"

"Captain, you idiot, **Captain!**" the Australian corrected.

"Sorry, Captain, but that old dude behind the counter was ready to shoot!If I hadn't used it, we'd all be dead or arrested by now!"

"Fine! Just grab what 'cha can and get to the van!"

"I don't think so!" Danny cried, appearing before them, now able to see clearly. And he was pretty surprised at what he saw.

For starters, he'd expected more than just three guys to be there, but the real head-scratcher was the bizarre dress code of who he assumed was the boss. He wore a blue trenchcoat that covered a dark blue shirt and black leather pants. His hands were protected by black, fingerless gloves; historso encircled by a black sash; a thin, white scarf around his neck and a small, blue military hat that barely hid his medium brown hair. The arms, the sash and the front of his hat were lined with small, white boomerangs.

"G'day, mate! Been lookin' forward to meetin' you!" the 'Captain' exclaimed.

"Uh, Captain, I don't think this is the time for-" one henchmen advised.

"Shut up and get the van outta here! I'll take care o' this pup!"

"But sir, you can't handle-"

"What'd I just say, punk? **I said bugger off!**" the Captain ordered.

"Yes, sir." And he and the other lacky, who'd been smart enough to keep his mouth shut, rushed to the back exit with whatever they could carry.

"Uh, you do realize I can't let them leave," Danny said, ready to pursue the pair.

"Oh, don't worry about those idgits; you got more important things to worry about!" the Captain warned, as he unlatched a boomerang from his left sleeve, and threw it towards Danny. Danny smiled and became intangible.

"Uh, dude, don't know if you knew this, but I'm a ghost, I can just phase through-Aaah!" Danny's speech was cut short as the boomerang came in contact with where his body had just been and exploded, somehow blasting him and knocking him to the ground.

"How did you--w-what was **that**!" Danny yelled, his body aching where he'd been blasted.

"Like it? Apparently when one o' you spooks go all feel-through, ya leave a unique energy signal behind. And my l'il boomers lock right onto that and blow right through ya! Solid or not!I call 'em my 'Boo-Boom Boomerangs'."

"Kinda redundant name, isn't it?" posed Danny as he regained his stance.

"Meh, gets the job done though. Not only did I get you nice, but it gave the perfect distraction for my wingnuts to get outta here," he said, pointing behind him, where the exit door lay ajar.

Danny frowned, mentally kicking himself. "All right, I gotta admit you're a lot smarter than you look."

"Thanks, l'il Dan, though I thought you'd be a better challenge."

"Oh, don't worry. My first impressions are usually that way." He blasted a ghost ray at the Captain, who immediately dislodged another boomerang and tossed it at the ray. Both collided and cancelled each other out, but knocked both hero and villain back from the force. As Danny regained himself, he noticed that the ceiling above them was starting to give way. Ash and bits of wood were starting to fall from the ceiling.

"Listen!" Danny called to the Captain. "This whole place is going down! I can get us both outta here if you surrender!"

"Sorry, l'il Dan! Never on a first date!" he quipped, throwing another boomerang right for him.

"Okay, you forced me to do this!" Danny went intangible and phased through the floor so the flying explosive just met with the floor. He traveled behind the Captain, and flew into his body, gaining control of him. That is, until he heard laughter...coming from inside the Captain's head.

_"Sorry, mate. But this l'il hat o' mine's more than a fashion accessory!"_ With only that as a warning, Danny was suddenly shocked from within the Captain, causing him to lose his control and ghost back out of the Captain's body in a daze.

The Captain stood over him and smirked. "By the way, name's Captain Boomerang. See ya around, l'il Dan, or not!" And with that 'charming' introduction,he kicked Danny square in the face and escaped though the smoke and flames.

"This is really not my day," Danny groaned. But his pains took a backseat when the last of the building's stability went and the ceiling began to collapse. Going intangible just in time, he ghosted though the descending building and took to the air. He looked down over the store. The shop was in ruins; the thieves got away; he was battered in a million different places and the fumes and flames just kept roaring on up to the sky.

"Great. Now the brain-dead bank robber is the least of my worries..."

* * *

_MR-- And there you go! The premiere of my 'Closer to Home' story. The next chapter may be a while as I have spring break starting tomorrow and I'll be stuck with my own lousy computer, and then a Band trip once I get back to school. So please, be patient! _


	2. Frozen Hell Hath No Fury

_MR-- Hi dudes and dudettes! (I sound so stupid saying that.) I wrote this chapter in just one day, so I can hopefully rest for a bit. And good news! I got a new computer today, so I can update new chapters from home, instead of having to do it at school! YEE-HA!_

_Thanks to Boxghost228, Rob the Hedgehog, Isisoftheunderground and Tetsukon for reviewing Chapter One. Hope to hear from you again!_

**Disclaimer**: Butch owns DP; Gerry Conway and Al Milgrom created this chapter's villain. Mrs. Calvin and Brucey are my creations.

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**"Valuing life is not weakness and disregarding it is not strength."**

_-Mirage from 'The Incredibles' _

* * *

Danny ate his cereal very slowly the next morning, glad that it was a Saturday as his body was still aching and he hadn't gotten much sleep due to worrying about Captain Boomerang. He hadn't even noticed that he'd put orange juice into his Raisin Bran until it was too late. 

"Ugh, gross! That's just...not bad, really," he reviewed, taking a few more spoonfuls.

"Just when I thought you couldn't get any weirder," muttered Jazz through her morning coffee and blueberry muffin.

"Humor me, Jazz. The last few days have been really rough. Although I guess I should be grateful that no ghost has bothered me besides Technus."

"Morning, kids!" Jack greeted in his usual, chipper, yet goofy manner.

"Morning, Dad. Morning, Mom," Jazz replied as Maddie entered the room in a much less ecstatic mood than her husband.

"How's it going with that Hanson crook?" asked Danny, glad he could get somewhat valuable info without arousing suspicion.

"Ugh, lousy," mumbled Maddie, "not a word or a rogue blink from him."

"But on the plus side, the police finally let us take out that punk's weapon for analysis," mentioned Jack.

"I thought the partner grabbed both of them when he ran off," said Danny.

"No, sweetie, he just got away with his and a good share of the money."

"And just take a looky at this, kids!" Jack cried excitedly, pulling out Hanson's ecto-gun, and holding it before them.

"Looks like an ordinary ecto-gun," rated Danny, "if you call that ordinary."

"Yeah, but look harder," Jack said, turning the gun so they could see the underside of it. A few inches ahead of the trigger lay a small, black doodad.

"A switch?" Danny and Jazz asked in unison.

"Mm-hmm, and would ya look at what it does!" Jack flipped the switch, causing the gun to emit a low buzzing sound, and the top of the gun opened up. The ecto-ammo disappeared into the gun and was replaced by a different type of ammo that slid into its slot perfectly. "BAZAII!" Jack fired the gun at his empty chair and a thin bluish-red beam fried a small, but clear hole through it.

"Jack!" "Dad!" came both Maddie and Jazz's voices.

"Hey, wait a minute," said Danny, looking over at the hole. "That wasn't an ecto-blast."

"Very good, Danny! It's a laser gun now; intended for people, instead of ghosts! It's two guns in one! HA HA!"

"But where did they get those things? We don't even have that sort of technology," observed Danny.

"That, Danny, is what we're trying to find out," stated Jack.

"After all, average thieves don't know how to make this sort of thing, so whoever they're working for must be pretty voiced on the subject," Maddie assumed.

"Oh boy," muttered Danny.

"All right, enough about the criminal workings," said Jazz, not wanting her little brother getting too worked up about evil scientists. "Let's see what's on TV."

Unfortunately, Jazz's intentions were snuffed out as Tiffany Snow came on with a new crime having just taken place.

_"It seems that ghosts truly have become the least of our worries as Amity Park has recently become a hot spot for criminal activity. The works of Rob Hanson and his accomplice robbing Amity Bank this past Wednesday, and the so far unknown assailant and arson of the 24K Jewelry Store seem to have foreshadowed another attack. But was this attacker ghost or human? Lance Thunder has more."_

The camera changed to Lance, standing beside a very terrified looking, elderly woman wearing a towel around her shivering body and a hot water bottle over her head. Danny instantly recognized her as the poor woman with the dog that Hanson had almost run over in the big chase.

_"Tiffany. I'm here with Mrs. Calvin, the unfortunate victim of what appears to be the newest hell-bringer to our town. Mrs. Calvin, would you be able to tell us what happened?"_

_"Y-yes,"_ she chattered, appearing to be on the verge of tears. _"I-I was taking my little dog, B-Brucey, for our m-morning walk. I were g-going to pick up s-some more dog food f-for him. We had just crossed the street that c-connected t-to the grocery store, when-when she came-came out of n-nowhere. She walked up t-to us, with this hideous, h-horrible grin on her f-face. She d-didn't say anything; she just-just raised her hand t-to us, and the next thing I-I know...the-there's ice! Ice everywhere! M-my feet were frozen t-to the sp-pot. And Brucey, h-he ran up to that-that monster, and s-started barking at her t-to go away and leave us alone! And s-she-she j-just laughed at him, and then she-she..."_

The tears Mrs. Calvin had been holding back broke lose and she just cried out and wept in pain. She didn't need to finish the sentence, though; the camera showed it. And every Fenton, as did many other viewers, I'm sure, gasped at what they saw.

Brucey, the small, loyal dog that just wanted to protect its mistress, was frozen solid in jagged ice. Lifeless and paused in the moment of barking at its foe.

_"Mrs. Bruce?"_ asked Lance. _"I have no idea how hard this must be, but if you could describe this villain to the people at home..."_

_"O-of course,"_ she pressed on through sniffles and shivers. _"I'll never f-forget her face, as l-long as I live, n-never. Her skin was p-pale, deathly p-pale; her hair was a d-dark blue a-and short and w-was m-matted down right against her-her head. S-she wore blue gloves and b-boots and some sort of swimsuit or j-jumpsuit or s-something that ended just below her sh-sh-shoulders with w-white ice m-markings around the ch-chest. Sh-she was smallish, t-too. Not tiny, but st-still s-s-small. But h-her eyes-her eyes! The pupils a-and irises were completely bla-black, no c-colour or an-anything! And the rest o-of it, where the whites o-of the eyes are sup-supposed to be, they-they were all b-blue! She couldn't be human! She's some sort of d-demon! No person could ever kill my-"_ Mrs. Calvin stopped again as her sobs interrupted her and she turned her back to the camera.

_"A demon to be sure,"_ agreed Lance. _"Police, firemen and even other concerned citizens are hunting for this force-freezing monster, intent on making her pay for this atrocity. And in an earlier conversation with Mrs. Calvin, she was asked several question to determine this woman's 'living position'. Although she displayed powerful blasts of ice, and certain physical characteristics, there was no other evidence to confirm her state. Now two questions lie before us? Is this creature still human? and where will she strike next? This..is Lance Thunder."_

Just like a few days before, the rest of the news became pointless, tuned-out racket as the Fenton family shook their heads in sympathy and pain.

"That poor woman," whispered Maddie, looking not far away from crying herself. "She must be so scared..."

"Come on, Maddie," Jack ordered, rising from his chair.

"Come on where?"

"We're goin' out there to find that frozen freak, and bring her to justice! Ghost or no ghost, I'll be damned if we're just gonna sit here while something like that walks the streets!"

"Good idea, Jack," she said, smiling warmly at him. "Kids, if you see that..thing, hide down in the lab and call us at the Fenton GAV. We're headin' out!" She and Jack both pulled their jumpsuit hoods over their faces and headed off to grab whatever Fenton gear they could use.

"I can't believe anyone could do something like that, ghost or not," mumbled Jazz.

"Jazz, if anyone asks, I'm up in my room," Danny said, running for the stairs.

"What? Danny, no! It's too dangerous!" Jazz knew all too well what her brother planned to do.

"Yeah, it is. But if this thing's a ghost, then it's my responsibility. And even if it isn't a ghost, I still have to stop it. Besides, I've faced ice wielding bad guys before."

"Yes, but that was a miserable, pajama-wearing ghost who wanted friends. This is some jumpsuited psychopath who from the sound of it, just wants to hurt things."

"And that's why I'm going." And before Jazz could say anything else, he phased through the ceiling. Looking over his town, he concentrated on the ectoplasm surging through his body, and two familiar white halos appeared and completed his transformation. "I've got some hunting to do."

Jazz watched him fly off through the nearest window, and then rushed down to the lab. She opened the Weapons' Vault, grabbed the Fenton Foamer and one of her Mom's blue hazmat suits and rushed out the door after Danny.

_'You said that as if you actually believed I wouldn't follow you,'_ she scoffed to herself.

* * *

"Come on, where are you?" Danny asked in exasperation. He'd been searching for more than an hour and hadn't found anything. "People like that don't just up and disappear...Well, if she's a ghost she can, I guess." 

He was about to head back and check another part of town when he was hit from behind by a mountainous pillar of ice, knocking him flat on the sidewalk below. He slowly raised his head to find the woman that perfectly matched Mrs. Calvin's description. The hair, the eyes, the clothes all fit. And she was standing on a rising path of ice that she was making with her hands.

He waited for the chill and the well known, blue breath to float out from his mouth, but there was nothing but the slight chill from the ice that had hit him.

"So you're not a ghost," he confirmed.

"Sorry, Dan doll, but I'm a hundred percent alive, 'least on the outside, anyway." She blasted more ice from her hands to finish a path to the ground in front of Danny.

"Then what are you? And- wait, you know me, too?" Thinking back to Captain Boomerang's initial reaction to him.

"Kinda hard not to notice a ghost boy hero when just about every other ghost in this town is evil and destructive, now is it? And as to your first question, that depends on your standing. Some call me a mutant or a gifted individual; some say I'm a weather bender or an ice queen, but most: most just call me a freak."

"I wonder why," he said sarcastically, rising to face her. "You're not exactly popular around here, lady."

"Why, because I fragged some old bat's precious mutt?"

"Yes, that's it," he replied, trying to keep his control. "You sound beat up about it."

"Death is death, Dan doll; doesn't matter who does it." Sick of talking, she shot an ice blast at Danny.

He went intangible to evade it, but when he felt a strange sensation in his feet, he looked down and saw that his feet were freezing to the sidewalk while he was still intangible. "Dah!" He fired a ghost ray at his feet to break the ice and became tangible again. He glared at the woman, who had stopped freezing at him and was just smirking unemotionally at his reaction.

"How did you do that? It should've gone right through me!"

"You should listen more closely, doll. Like I said, death is death, so therefore, life is life. Human or ghost; solid or otherwise, I can freeze it. You're just the same as any other person to me." She fired another blast at him; this time he dodged it and took to the air. He fired a ghost ray at her which she just canceled out with her ice. "I'm Killer Frost, Dan doll, and I'm the last thing you're gonna see!"

She created a new ice path and blasted it up to Danny so she was level with him, and fired another blast. Danny expanded his midsection to leave a huge hole for the blast to go through, and then sped off further over town with Killer Frost hot, though not literally, on his heels; firing ice blast after ice blast after him. As he zigged and zagged to avoid them, he had to reluctantly commend Frost for her skill. She was able to keep firing blasts while simultaneously making more ice for her walkway (or slideway, in this case) and keeping her balance. And as he weaved from different blasts, he noticed that they were drastically upsetting life below them, big surprise.

The fact that people had stopped what they were doing to watch them was one thing, and stray blasts from Frost were hitting everything from mailboxes to Volkswagens.

"I've gotta find a way to stop her quick," he thought aloud, when an idea came to him. Without warning, he flew down below where Frost had already made an ice path and blasted at it, causing it to crumble, so the path Frost was on fell. Thinking quickly, she jumped off her current ice support and fired another ice blast to create a pillar for her to land on.

As she regained her balance, she locked her eyes on to Danny just before he punched her square in the nose. The force knocked her off her pillar and sent her plummeting to the street below. Using all the speed he could muster, Danny flew down under her and caught her, and brought the two down to earth.

"I think that's enough," stated Danny sternly.

"Really? I don't!" Taking advantage of his favor, she blasted Danny in the face, freezing almost all of his head.

"Oh, great," he muttered in a muffled tone, and fired a ghost ray at his own head to shatter the ice. He looked back to Killer Frost, who was just smiling and shaking her head in mock disappointment.

"You really think you can stop me, don't you? Sorry, but you can't. 'Cause unlike you, I can keep this up forever, and when you tire out, you and every other living thing in this town'll be in a frozen tomb!"

"Why?"

"Death makes me happy. Why's never been a question."

"Sorry you feel that way. Then I've got no other choice." Flying right at her, he went intangible, planning to overshadow her, but when he met her body, he just bounced right off her and fell backwards.

"What was that?"

"Insurance, in case you tried that possession trick. My suit emits a low-level radiation that'll keep you from any...intimate contact with me. And now-" Before she could finish, they both heard a small buzzing and the next thing they knew, Frost was covered in ecto-goo.

"Yuck! What is this crud!" she yelled, trying to get it out of her face. Danny looked to his left and saw a thin figure in a blue hazmat dash away down the street.

"Jazz," he muttered. "Have to thank her later, but right now-"

He rose back to his feet, charged a ghost ray into his hand and punched Frost in the nose again; the force of the blow causing her to lose her balance and fall back in an unconscious mess. Danny was so relieved that it was over that he didn't even hear the bystanders cheering him. He looked around and saw at least thirty people were there, chanting his name in unison.

"PHAN-TOM! PHAN-TOM! PHAN-TOM!"

The cheers were soon blocked out though when police cars and the Fenton GAV pulled up. Jack and Maddie were out instantaneously and surveyed the scene. Well, Maddie did anyway...

"GHOST!" roared Jack, pulling out the Fenton Bazooka and taking aim.

"Hey, wait!" a voice cried, and a teenage boy about Jazz's age stepped up. "He just saved our butts! He stopped that psycho ice witch!"

"Yeah, he's a hero!" another voice cried, and the crowd broke back out into their cheers.

Danny couldn't help but smile with pride as he flew off. His people were cheering him on; Killer Frost was being arrested and nobody had gotten hurt in the fight. But there was still one more thing he needed to do...

* * *

Mrs. Calvin sat on her couch, drinking a small cup of tea. She looked to the cushion to her right, where her little Brucey used to sit and lick gingerly at her hands for no particular reason. She missed that little guy. She'd gotten calls all day from everyone to the mayor to people on their way to work who wanted to say how sorry they were for her lost. It touched her; really, it did, but it didn't really fill the emptiness inside her or put out the fear that had been started by that monstrous woman. 

"Mrs. Calvin?" a youthful voice asked. She nearly spilled her tea as the voice had come out of the blue. She looked up to see a young man floating before her, with a strange black suit and glowing green eyes.

"Who are you? How d-did you get in here?" she asked, moving further into the couch.

"It's all right; I'm not gonna hurt you. I just wanted to let you know that we caught her."

"What?"

"The woman who attacked you, Killer Frost; she's been stopped and she's going to jail. You're safe now. Just wanted to let you know so you'd be sure," he said and floated towards the window.

"Oh, one more thing: If she ever escapes from prison, I'll be there to stop her, I promise."

The old woman just stared at him in response. He smiled grimly and then phased through the window. She looked after him as he glided over the city. Small tears fell from her eyes and she gently smiled.

"Thank you..."

* * *

A familiar Aussie gentleman sat in his warehouse lair, pondering over his recent brush with the Ghost Boy. He knew the kid had survived, that was a given, and although a bit wet behind the ears, he posed a decent challenge for the Captain. Maybe even more of a challenge than his legendary Central City opponent. 

Hell, why not take a stab at him? This punk could do things that'd put the Fastest Man Alive to shame; that was certainly a better use of his time than a wise-cracking speedster. Now...he had to start planning; he could kill the kid himself...but what fun was there in that!

"You've never been a selfish one, George," he complimented himself. "Why not split the fun?"

He slid his chair into his desk and reached for the phone, immediately dialing up a Central City number. The phone rang twice before it was answered.

"Whoever this is, it better be important," came a no-nonsense tone.

"Mark, ol' mate! Have I got a deal for you!"

* * *

_And there's Chapter Two. Sorry about my writing during the action scenes, I have trouble describing all that stuff. Anyway, as a new twist, I'm planning on having some other villains appear probably as one shot guys and I'd like your opinions on who. If there's a DC character you'd really like me to use, then please tell me, but keep in mind, I want them as human as possible. Oh, and feel free to vote for more than one!_

_The choices are: _

_**Two-Face**- an ex-District Attorney, scarred by an accident and plagued by a split personality_

_**The Ventriloquist and Scarface**- a mild-mannered man controlled by another persona expressed through a ventriloquist's dummy_

_**Mirror Master**- a vicious scientist who uses a dimension of mirrors to travel from place to place_

_**Trickster**- a pleasnt, fun-loving man trapped in his own fantasy of a child-like supervillain_

_**Metallo**- an ex-mercenary whose mind was transferred into an indestructible robot_

_**Parasite**- a small-time thief turned megalomaniac who can absorb people's energy and thoughts on contact_

_

* * *

If you want a better back story on these villains, check their histories on So review, and tell me who you want to see fight our infamous Ghost Boy! _


End file.
